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The US Justice Department said on Sunday it had restored an image it had removed from public view a day earlier in the investigative file related to Jeffrey Epstein, after concluding that the image, which included President Donald Trump, posed no risk of public exposure.
The Justice Department said the image had been reported by federal prosecutors in New York for possible exposure of Epstein's victims. Its unexplained removal on Saturday prompted a flurry of accusations from Democrats of apparent political interference in favor of the president, a former friend of Epstein.
"Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Justice has temporarily removed the image for further review," the department said in a statement.
"After review, it was determined that there is no evidence that any of Epstein's victims are depicted in the photograph and it was reposted without any changes or editing," the response said.
The image removed from the Justice Department's disclosure page included a photo of Epstein's desk in his New York residence, on which two photos of Trump were visible. The images were also removed from downloadable files.
"This photo, file 468, from the Epstein files involving Donald Trump has apparently now been removed from the Department of Justice's release," Democrats on the House Oversight Committee posted on Twitter on Saturday.
"Pam Bondi, is this true? What else is being covered up? We need transparency for the American public," they added.
In a statement, the Justice Department said that "photos and other materials will continue to be reviewed and redacted in accordance with the law with great care as we receive additional information."
Criticism of the redaction of the files speaks to the highly politically charged nature of the release of documents ordered by Congress, with Democrats claiming that the files released so far have been heavily redacted and selected to portray Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, in a bad light.
Republicans on the committee responded, saying that previously, Democratic-sponsored publications "have repeatedly posted carefully selected doctored photos to try to score political points and create a hoax against President Trump. They chase headlines at the expense of victims. They can NEVER be trusted to conduct serious investigations."
Earlier on Sunday, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the removal of photos from the Epstein files released Friday, including one of Trump, "had nothing to do" with the president - and claimed the images would likely be reinstated once it was determined whether they needed redactions.
Blanche said the 16 removed photos came at the request of victims' advocacy groups.
“We don’t have perfect information,” Blanche told NBC News’ “Meet the Press on Sunday.” He added that when we hear from victims’ rights groups about this type of photo, we take it down and investigate.
As Blanche put it, an investigation into the photos was ongoing and they "will be returned," with the only question remaining "whether there will be edits."
Victims' rights advocate Gloria Allred told CNN on Saturday that "the system has failed survivors," including by releasing files that may have been "inadequately redacted."
"I saw some names of survivors that should never have been published, because the whole point is to protect survivors," she told the media.
In a letter to the Justice Department on Sunday, an Epstein victim who reported the sex abuser to the FBI in 2009 said her name was wrongly exposed in the Justice Department's trove of documents, but she was not allowed to see her FBI file beforehand.
“The contradiction is extraordinary,” the victim wrote in a redacted letter sent to X. “DOJ claims that my file requires extended review to determine whether redactions are appropriate – yet there was no difficulty in publishing my identity in a mass disclosure.”
Blanche and Allred's comments came as the Trump administration faced criticism for how it handled Friday's partial release, when one was required by act of Congress.
The release of Justice Department files related to Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor and died while awaiting sex trafficking charges, dominated the debate on Sunday. Democratic officials argued that the government had failed to meet its legal obligation to release the full investigative documents.
“This initial release of documents is inadequate,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said on ABC’s This Week. “It doesn’t meet what the law requires.”
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